I have been through the valley of sorrow and weeping

1
I have been through the valley of sorrow and weeping,
    The valley of trouble and pain;
But the “God of all comfort,” the “God of all comfort,”
    Was with me to hold and sustain.
2
As the earth needs the clouds and the rain with the sunshine,
    Our souls need both sorrow and joy,
So He places us oft in the fire of affliction
    The dross from the gold to destroy.
3
When He leads thru the valleys of trouble and sorrow,
    His mercy and love there we trace;
For the trials and sorrows He sends us in wisdom
    Are part of His lessons in grace.
4
Yet how often we shrink from the purging and pruning,
    Forgetting the Husbandman knows
That the deeper and closer the cutting and paring,
    The richer the cluster that grows.
5
O how well does He know that afflictions are needed;
    He has a wise purpose in view,
And within the dark valley He whispers to comfort,
    “Hereafter thou’lt know what I do.”
6
As we travel the pathway thru life’s shadowed valleys,
    Fresh springs of His love ever rise;
And we learn that our troubles, our sorrows and losses,
    Are blessings just sent in disguise.
7
So we’ll follow Him faithfully where’er He leadeth,
    The pathway be dreary or bright;
For we’ve proved that our God is the “God of all comfort,
    The God who gives songs in the night.
7
Rev. Sky Starr

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Grateful to find music for this very important hymn for Christians who are grieving.

As a minister and therapist, responding to gun violence trauma, and other griefs, Christians who are going through deep grief and trauma will definitely find comfort in Anne Flint's poem fitly put to music.


Jacky Thompson

Enfield, United Kingdom

Lovely hymn, another one we would sing in the working men's mission. My granddad was preacher there when we were young.


Steve Miller

Detroit, MI, United States

This hymn (with "Say to this mountain", "Utterly abandoned", & "When is the time to trust") appears as a poem in the daily devotional book "Streams in the Desert, compiled by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman. Charles E. Cowman was the founder of The Oriental Missionary Society. He and his wife went to Japan and Korea as missionaries without the support of a mission board or denominational backing. Mrs. Cowman first published this devotional book in 1925 after experiencing the hardship of caring for her husband during his 6 years of illness. This book is especially meant for those who are going through trials. It is a compilation of extracts of messages and poems by such people as F. B. Meyer, Andrew Murray, A. B. Simpson, C. H. Spurgeon, Zinzendorf, M. E. Barber, Annie Johnson Flint, and many others. "Streams in the Desert" was published in 12 foreign languages; 3 million copies were printed in English alone. No author or source is given for this hymn (nor the 3 others above). - Songs of the Spirit by Martin


L Baughan

Merrill, WI, United States

I found a verse of this written inside the cover of my departed grandmother's worn Bible. I'd never heard this song before discovering it here. How I long for a church that still sings these old hymns. They touch, mend and encourage my heart like no others.


Anna Finley

Brooksville, Florida, United States

It's so meaningful to me....and, I was just reading it in Streams in the Desert and was trying to find out more about it...like who wrote it....I didn't realize it was a hymn...decided to search the internet to see if I could find out more about the poem...


Allen Carnes

Pensacola, FL, United States

Tremendously Scriptural hymn I've never heard of before (to the best of my knowledge). Is there any info on it's Title--OR if in is in any of the traditional Christian hymnals??


Penny Hicks

Staten Island, N.Y., United States

I love this song. It is very inspiring and brought me to tears.